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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 01:56 PM
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Default Interior dye

Hi,

Interior pieces are ready to be dyed, and I am trying to decide whether to brush or otherwise apply the dye on the pieces by hand (got a quart of dye), or to use the spray can, or to buy a paint sprayer and use that...

Pros and cons that you have w/ each method, or are some of them totally out of question?

Before / after pics would be appreciated.

BTW, I am not changing the color; just want to enhance the current (black).

Cheers,

pete
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 03:06 PM
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I was just in your neck of the woods visiting my sister. I was at Summit on Saturday, (put down 481rwhp in my caddy during the dynomax contest) and picked up some VHT black satin dye in a spray can. I am going from blue to black on my wife's C3.

I haven't used it yet as I am working on my thesis. I should be able to let you know how well it worked sometime in the next couple weeks.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 03:26 PM
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hey, I've got a buddy "gruntypants" who's used the spay can method to good effect on his 69. I'll ask him to chime in on this. BTW we're in Kennesaw too.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 03:35 PM
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i have used the spray can on 3 cars so far and the result was very good. i had no issues and looked stock. i used the ecklers spray on my silver interior 75 abck in 89 and dark saddle on my 71. the silver had rubbed off on some of the console parts so i decided to redye the whole interior. it has lasted for 18 years. the key is getting everything very clean before you spray.

Last edited by 2000FRCZ19; Mar 20, 2007 at 03:39 PM.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by VettePekka
Hi,

Interior pieces are ready to be dyed, and I am trying to decide whether to brush or otherwise apply the dye on the pieces by hand (got a quart of dye), or to use the spray can, or to buy a paint sprayer and use that...

Pros and cons that you have w/ each method, or are some of them totally out of question?

Before / after pics would be appreciated.

BTW, I am not changing the color; just want to enhance the current (black).

Cheers,

pete

Pete.. Spray...definitely... Did my entire interror a few years ago with great results. Some before and afters below and some pointers I learned along the way:

* Clean each piece with a good strong cleaner to get the dirt and build up off it.
* Use a degreaser on each piece just prior to spraying
* Make sure the color you have (if multiple cans) is all from the same lot. Each lot will have a small variation in shade.









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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 04:17 PM
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Default Before and After

I just used the spray can stuff I got at Pep Boys I think.. and did all of my interior pieces. Here's a photo of the seats.


So far there hasn't been any wear on any of the surfaces (and my clothes haven't turned black either).
I believe that as long as you do really good prep work it will turn out great.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 04:59 PM
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No sign of wearing off on mine either... going on 2 years. Only thing I wish I would have done is put a coat of semi-gloss over the top of the dye as this would have made it look pretty good vs having to wipe it down periodically.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 05:12 PM
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Holy COW!?!?!? I didn't know this was even an option for upholstry!
I have the leather & cloth seats in my 80. The seats are structurally sound, foam is tight, leather is good. BUT, the blue coloring on the cloth (center part) of the seats is faded from 27 years of sun discoloration. The fabric is still good.

So, is there a "magical" paint that can be sprayed on the cloth parts to re-dye the blue coloring back to new?





Thanks in advance
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 06:02 PM
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I've bought a few sets of ACC carpets for F bodys and everyone has faded in a couple of years and this is being gargage kept when not in use.I went to Kroger and got a package of black lit dye and put it in a garden sprayer and it was looking like brand new.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 07:14 PM
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SPRAY!!! If you don't have professional spray equipment, buy some Preval gas cannister spray heads at the auto paint store where you bought the dye (or any other local auto paint supply store). The Preval unit comes with a glass bottle to pour your dye into, then just screw it on to the gas spray cannister and spray away. Buy additional cannisters (without the bottle) if you need. I think I bought the main unit and 2 other gas units when I did my entire interior.

You will also need some lacquer thinner (not mineral spirits) for cleaning out the sprayer head when you are done. (Just pour unused dye back in the can.) Get the bottle and spray head very clean so that you can re-use them whenever you want.

The dye is very thin...but covers very well....so it is very forgiving while you are spraying. Just don't get it to run. You can always re-spray after about a 10 minute dry time. Good luck!
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by OregonVette80
Holy COW!?!?!? I didn't know this was even an option for upholstry!
I have the leather & cloth seats in my 80. The seats are structurally sound, foam is tight, leather is good. BUT, the blue coloring on the cloth (center part) of the seats is faded from 27 years of sun discoloration. The fabric is still good.

So, is there a "magical" paint that can be sprayed on the cloth parts to re-dye the blue coloring back to new?





Thanks in advance
It's well worth the effort and time... just take your time while doing.

Believe there is fabric dye...I didn't need it but thought I saw it while searching for my seat / interrior dye. Try Corvette America or Corvette Central.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 09:00 PM
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I agree with Texas80C3, the prep work on th epieces is the most important no matter which system you use to spray the parts with. I'm in the process of doing my 82 complete interior now and so far it looks awesome and I'm very pleased with the results of the dye from Mid America.

I thought when I sprayed the black vinyl it might come off when I masked the it to spray the Camel...NOPE! It was rock solid after sitting over night. Clean all the parts well with soap and water and then with a good auto body degreaser in a gallon can and wipr the parts down well before spraying. The vinyl dye may look like its a little too heavy, but it is self leveling. Spray a couple thin coats and then a good final wet coat.
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 10:06 PM
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Thanks guys. I really appreciate your comments and advice.

Cheers,
pete
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 10:10 PM
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Thanks guys...

TexasC3, holy $hit man, your interior looks AWESOME!

That's inspiration to me.


AP
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Old Mar 20, 2007 | 11:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Vette80regon
Thanks guys...

TexasC3, holy $hit man, your interior looks AWESOME!

That's inspiration to me.


AP
Thanks! Lots of work but now lots of fun at shows and going for weekend cruises.

I just looked at the cleaners I used... initial cleaner was PURPLE POWER followed by Denatured alcohol before spraying 3 to 4 very thin coats of dye.
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Old Mar 21, 2007 | 12:39 AM
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Use the spray cans. I have a convertibe with red (oxblood) interior and the sun really fades my carpeting---- so every year or two I do a touch-up and it comes out GREAT --- just like NEW. Finally something easy and cheap on a C3
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Old Mar 21, 2007 | 01:01 PM
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I did the dye/paint last night & posted the story on the "C3 general" pages.


It came out great. Here's a kind of before/after pic.




AP
the rest of the post can be seen in the "C3 General" forum.

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Old Mar 26, 2007 | 11:55 AM
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I'm still resurrecting this thread -

I'm thinking on doing this because the interior of my 1986 Coupe has turned a funky purple/grey thing...

So, I'm going to re-dye the insides, but!...

Why would you use a degreaser on carpeting? Won't that hurt or ruin the fabric somewhat!?!?!
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Old Mar 26, 2007 | 12:04 PM
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Originally Posted by 80TexasC3
.. Spray...definitely... * Clean each piece with a good strong cleaner to get the dirt and build up off it.
* Use a degreaser on each piece just prior to spraying
* Make sure the color you have (if multiple cans) is all from the same lot. Each lot will have a small variation in shade.
AND....numerous light coats produces best results. It won't burry the grain in the material..and won't run.
Eddie
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Old Mar 26, 2007 | 12:25 PM
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Originally Posted by claymohr
I'm still resurrecting this thread -

I'm thinking on doing this because the interior of my 1986 Coupe has turned a funky purple/grey thing...Why would you use a degreaser on carpeting? Won't that hurt or ruin the fabric somewhat!?!?!

FYI...I didn't use de-greaser on my fabric cloth seats. Just warm soapy water & a brush. The dye/paint has held REALLY well. The very next day I drove the vette wearing light khaki pants and a white oxford shirt. Not coloring whatsoever on my clothes. The stuff I used dried in 15 minutes to the touch, 1 hour to total dryness.
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